We Should've Gotten More Time, but Luck's Never Been on Our Side
by arithmadick2-0
Summary: It was the last call she needed to make to say what she never got to. Warnings: Violence and Character Death


"Where'd Happy go?" He asks the question with such concern that it shocks the whole team into focus.

"Walter, where's Happy?" His teeth are gritted and when Walter doesn't answer he swears under his breath.

Toby starts out, leaving them with only a word of finding her but Cabe catches his arm before he's gone. "We need you right now, Kid. Ten more minutes and we'll all go looking for her. It's dangerous for her to be alone but even more so if I have two of you out there on your own. She'll be fine."

Nodding, he breathes out heavily and goes back to staring at the screen, looking for anything that could alert them of the cartel, and possibly Happy's location. His brain is on autopilot with what he has to do, his need to find her stronger than anything else.

* * *

She drags her heels farther into the ground and presses back against the two men holding her arms and pushing her forward. Their hands tighten and she knows there will be fingertip bruises spotting her tomorrow. One of the men kicks her calf for her to keep moving but she's been fighting them for the past fifteen minutes and she doesn't plan on stopping until she's safe and with Toby.

Despite her determination, eventually the man in front of them opens a door and they shove her inside, using enough force for her to fall. Happy stands up swiftly and from the corner of her eye she can see a gun on the floor to her right. Lunging quickly she almost has the weapon in her grasp before she's tackled to the floor and a hand wraps around her throat, pulling her head up before slamming it back into the dusty ground.

Jerking her off of the floor roughly she's crashed against the wall. The man, who's much heavier than her, is using all of his weight in an attempt to weaken her. The action knocks the wind out of her and for once Happy's not sure if she'll make it out of this but she's sure as hell going to try.

Jutting out a fist, the right hook throws the perp off his balance enough for her to get away and catch her breath for only a moment.

It seems as if as soon as she's gotten control of the situation she's lost it again. A knee drives into her back and she collapses forward onto her knees. There's a dagger to the front of her throat but she knows the cartel - they'll drag out her pain until she can barely move before finishing her off. They want the satisfaction of seeing her so immobile and helpless and then, if she's lucky, they'll kill her quick.

"Where's your team to help you now, Princess? Abandoned you once they realized you weren't worth saving?" The leader spits out and she clenches her teeth, knowing that if she talks the rusty blade will dig into her throat. His knee digs further into her legs and she winces slightly. Feeling the cool edge of the knife trace down her chest she stifles a groan when a small knick is made at the line of her shirt.

She's lifted up by the two other men, a bruise beginning to form on one of their faces. They push her back into a wall, the gun directly in front of her feet but the boss steps into her line of view before she has the chance to form a plan; he presses the knife into her hairline, following the shape of her face. She refuses to give him an expression, her features stay blank even as the sharp tip cuts down her from her temple to the middle of her cheek. The three men continue to beat her and as much as she fights them off they're still stronger. She can feel the warm, sticky blood in her hair, dripping out from the cuts on her body, and she can taste it in her mouth. Only after multiple punches and wounds made, she speaks. It's nothing of pain or of her surrender, but only a request.

"Let me make a call."

* * *

The team had been searching for the better part of thirty minutes and gotten nowhere. Toby had steady tears dripping down his face and Sylvester continuously pulled on his ring finger out of nervousness for his lost friend.

"They had to have taken her." Toby says quietly, voice cracking. Paige sets a hand on his back, rubbing circles that she hopes will soothe him but he's too distraught to be comforted.

Cabe walks over to him and looks back at Walter who's frantically looking up maps of the area for any hints as to where they may have her if they really did take her.

"We'll find her," He tries to reassure Toby but he's not sure of his words either. "I promise." Toby nods, hands shaking in fists as he tells the team to keep looking for her. They stick together for the most part, Walter still pulling up maps and records of where the bodies of old cartel victims had been found. Toby's almost sobbing when Walter asks Sylvester to run the numbers on the chance of Happy still being alive this late. The only thing Sylvester says is "not good" before turning away, ashamed that he's almost sure one of his friends, his family, is dead.

"She's a fighter." Toby says through his tears, "She's not dead. She'll refuse to die, or to go out like that. We have to find her because she's still alive. If you want to give up on her, fine, but I'm not. I'll stay in contact with one of you." Cabe sighs as does Paige as they each grab the other two boys. "If Toby believes she's alive then we're going to keep searching. Let's go."

* * *

The sun is just setting when his phone rings. They all jump at the noise, it had been silent besides sniffling for the last hour or so, almost all of their hope gone that their mechanic was still with them.

Pulling the device from his pocket he gasps when he sees the name lighting up the screen: Hap Q with two heart emojis following. He immediately slides to accept the call, his tears stopping for right then as her voice comes over. It's raspy and hoarse but _her_ and that's all that matters.

"Happy, where are you?" He asks instantly, Walter running over to start tracking her phone.

"Don't worry about me, Doc." She laughs lightly but he can hear the slight tears in her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm okay. Will you just-" Swallowing thickly she exhales heavily before speaking again. "Tell me why you chose me? Of all the girls you could've had, why me?" He can't believe that he's hearing these words but he's not going to question her now.

"You're beautiful, Hap. And smart, so smart and capable. No one else is like you and I should be the one asking you that when you deserve so much more than me. We're going to find you, okay?" The tears in his voice are more prominent and thicker than ever. "We're going to find you and I'm going to take such good care of you and make sure you never get hurt again, I swear."

* * *

Hearing his voice makes her want to fight even more but she knows there's nothing left in her to give. She's playing her best plan to bid her time until they find her because she _knows_ that they will. They're the only family she's ever had but they won't let her down.

"Toby, are you still there?" She asks.

"Right here, Hap, like always. I'm not hanging this phone up."

"Thank you. You gave me everything I never had even though I pushed you away and fought you off for so long. You never gave up and I love you so, _so,_ much for that. I hope you find someone and she's sweet and can give you everything I couldn't because you're worth so much. Never forget how much you've done for me and how much you mean to me."

Her tears are racing and she doesn't care how weak she looks right now. If this is the end then she'll go with him knowing how he's done everything for her. She can hear Toby's sobs through the phone and his voice waver when he talks again.

"We found you, babe. We know where you are so just stay strong until we get there. Ten minutes. I love you, Happy. Don't give up. Stay strong for me." There's hope in his voice but when the cold barrel of a gun is pressed against the side of her head she closes her eyes.

"Thank you, Toby. But I have to hang up now. I'll see you; keep living for me, Doc."

* * *

The line goes dead and Toby cries out but they're only a few minutes away from finding her and he knows she's strong enough to hold on.

"There!" Walter yells, and Cabe makes a sharp turn into the lot. The team spills from the van and Toby runs in, hearing the team follow. He continues into the concrete building until he hears voices from behind the door of the room Happy's in, hopefully still alive. Whispering, he tells Cabe and Walter what they need to do.

* * *

Their shoulders knock through the door and everything happens in a blur. There's yelling and kicking but everything stops when a gun rings out. Toby screams as he sees Happy's body fall to the floor, a bullet hole through her head. The gun goes off again, this time to her chest and Toby's on the three men faster than Cabe has a chance to pull him out of the room. Toby's crying, heaving sobs as backup comes into the room and takes the three men away but he refuses to let them take Happy's bruised, bloody body. He falls to his knees next to her, running his hand through her hair and he can feel his hand become coated in her blood.

Paige kneels next to him and rubs his back, whispering softly to him but he's inconsolable. Cabe comes to them, Walter leading a crying Sylvester outside.

"Come on, Kid. She's gone. I'll cover the rest of it." Between him and Paige, he stands and walks out in a daze, not speaking in the car ride home. There's a heaviness looming over them in knowing what happened, in having to explain it to Ralph how his Aunt Happy is no longer there. She told him to keep living, but he's not sure he'll be able to carry on without her.


End file.
